The Tiny, Aggro Alpine A290_ß Concept Is What The Future Of Electric Performance Cars Should Be

Alpine A290 B Topshot 2
ADVERTISEMENT

Are you suffering from electric performance car indigestion? Symptoms include model bloat, two-plus-ton curb weights, an artificial sense of agility, and nauseating straight-line speed being a primary party trick. If so, talk to your family doctor about A290_ß. No, this isn’t one of those pharmaceutical ads you see on American TV. This is the Alpine A290_ß concept, a feisty-looking hot hatch that promises to be exactly the sort of remedy needed to cure the bloated performance EV blues.

[Editor’s Note: I always like it when we get to use weird characters in our headlines. – JT]

Alpine A290_B Low 2

It’s been an odd few years for French performance cars, and we’re not out of the woods yet. Firstly, Renault Sport has been absorbed into Alpine. The last ever Renault Sport Car, the Megane RS Ultime, already debuted back in January. It’s a sad time for those of us who grew up with spicy RS-badged French hatchbacks as hero cars, from the funky OG Megane RS to the bonkers Clio V6, mostly because it feels like Renault is throwing away brand equity.

Alpine A110 San Remo 73 New And Old

Secondly, the lithe Alpine A110 pictured above won’t live forever. Just like the rest of the automotive kingdom, Alpine will eventually need to go electric. Electric cars and lightweight fossil fuel-powered sports cars are currently at odds with each other, clean heft versus dirty agility. However, on the face of things, the Alpine A290_ß likely means we shouldn’t be worried.

A290 Show Car

The A290_ß looks a lot like the Renault 5 EV concept because that’s basically what it is. However, there are a few key differences. For a start, the A290_ß features all the loud accoutrements of a modern hot hatch. Vents in unusual places? Check. Prominent rear wing? Check. Canards? Erm, check. However, glance beyond the loudest add-ons and you’ll find all the visual hallmarks of a traditional hot hatch.

Alpine A290_B Rear Three Quarter

While the purple taillights will never be seen on a production car, this thing has rally lights, pumped arches, and a chunky body kit. Enormous alloy wheels with a retro square motif get Michelin rubber with 800-decibel tire stickers, a favorite of the tuning scene. The whole car is painted like a pinstriped panda, all satin black and white with blue and red flourishes. Put it all together, and the A290_ß looks like a high-top shoe, as a proper hot hatch should.

A290_B 1

Hot hatch looks are all well and good, but they need to be backed up with hot hatch go. Remember the Chevrolet Sonic RS? Great-looking thing, but it could’ve used more fizz. While we don’t know how much power the Alpine A290_ß puts out, electric torque on the front axle has the possibility of enabling hectic front-wheel-peels. More importantly, multilink rear suspension promises a level of sophistication you don’t normally see in hatchbacks this small. Add in stiffer suspension all-round and four-piston Brembo brakes, and this electric hot hatch concept seems like it would chart well on the Scoville scale.

Alpine A290 B Interior

Move to the cabin and things take a turn toward the fictional. However, while most concept cars these days feature delusions of higher autonomy, the Alpine A290_ß gets staggered three-abreast seating with a central driving position, like you’d get in a McLaren F1. It’s shameless, blatant pandering, and goddammit, it works. Who wouldn’t want a tiny, center-steer hot hatch? While the roll bar, driving position, and literally everything else about the cabin is as likely to make production as the Space Needle is to grow legs and walk off, it shows a deeply-ingrained sense of fun. Robot, sod off. I’m here to drive.

Alpine A290 Show Car (1)

As with any concept car, we’re looking at a future and not necessarily the future. However, for all intents and purposes, something like this will effectively be the next Renault Sport Clio, just going by a different name. Alpine claims that a production variant is on its way in 2024, which sounds like a fake year but is really just around the corner. The Alpine A290_ß seems like exactly the sort of small, nippy EV we need. Unfortunately, it probably won’t make it to America. While Alpine does plan on entering the U.S. market this decade, as evidenced by comments made by Renault’s CEO and a recent sponsorship deal with dealer group AutoNation for the Miami Grand Prix, it plans to do so with a series of crossover SUVs. Still, badger hard enough and good things might happen.

(Photo credits: Alpine)

Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.

Relatedbar

Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.

About the Author

View All My Posts

23 thoughts on “The Tiny, Aggro Alpine A290_ß Concept Is What The Future Of Electric Performance Cars Should Be”

  2. I don’t care, I don’t care, Alpine is dead to me unless they bring the A110 to America. If they don’t bring the A110, I would rather they not come to America at all. Not bringing the A110 is a slap in the face and they know it.

    1. What I want to see more is a car where you can switch between gas and electric. My one experience riding in an EV made it seem like a fantastic commuter/around-town car, and the silence is nice when you want to relax or listen to music, but it’d still be nice to have a sporty gas engine when you want to get rowdy or travel long-distances. Instead of driving modes, you could select between EV-only, Gas only, both, or EV with the gas engine running as a range extender.

  4. Absolutely love it, minus the goofy square headlight things and the square wheels. Sort of has GR Yaris and 2nd gen Fiat 500e vibes, also neither of which we get in the US.

  6. There’s precedent for 3 abreast seating in the Matra Murena and Bagheera, which were both mid-engine and very French. Also asterisk here, Plastic Bertrand is Belgian.

  7. One has to assume they’ve used the “ß” character because the French are as cautious as the Germans about avoiding any badgework that literally says “SS”.

    4. I’m glad I’m not the only one who remembers Plastic Bertrand. (and the song “Jet Boy Jet Girl” by Elton Motello (lyrics NSFW) which re-used the entire instrumental track and put new vocals to it)

  11. All I can see are the horrendous wheels.

    The only thing currently matching that for ugly are the giant nostrils on certain BMWs. Have we really lost a general agreement on what looks good and bad in the automotive world? It feels like if the Aztek were introduced today, instead of being laughed out of the marketplace, a significant number of people would embrace its styling.

  12. Concerning the power, it would be a huuuuuge surprise if it doesn’t share the 218 hp motor of the Megane E-Tech. Finally a new car that sort of appeals to me, a real miracle ! Even if I might be more the target of the R5, the Alpine name has its appeal for motorsports fans who will never be able to afford the mighty A110…

  13. Looks awesome, but I’m wary. The last time I invested in something with Beta in the name, the western videotape world went VHS and I got effed. Same thing with my Hi8 camcorder and HD DVD player. Jeez, I suck at picking tech winners, so maybe don’t trust my impressions.

    1. No no, there were also good cars named Beta like the Lanc… oh wait, forget it ! But it’s only for the concept so we should be good with the standard A290. Pfiou !

      1. Maybe The Autopian made a mistake, but it’s supposed to be a beta, Alpine said so. It’s a reference to the software world, as it’s still a concept

Leave a Reply